Water Resource Management

Water Resources work is conducted by members of the County Manager’s Office, including the Assistant County Manager and Grand County’s Water Quality Specialist.

The team works on policy and science issues involving water quality and quantity in Grand County to ensure that adequate supplies of high-quality water are available for all uses in the County, from recreation to municipal, and from environmental to agricultural.

Activities include representation and advocacy for Grand County and West Slope water interests including negotiation of important agreements such as:

The Colorado River Cooperative Agreement,

Habitat restoration projects like the Colorado River Headwaters Project to take Windy Gap Reservoir off of the main-stem of the Colorado River channel,

Other activities to restore habitat connectivity between the Colorado River below the reservoir, and the Fraser and Colorado Rivers above the reservoir.

Participation in the public comment process on state permits and water quality standards,

Working with stakeholders to improve Grand Lake clarity,

Active participation in Grand Lake adaptive management,

Implementation of the Grand County Stream Management Plan, and

Managing water quality monitoring programs.

County staff members participate at every level in Learning By Doing committees, including the executive, operations, technical and monitoring committees. We work to adaptively manage environmental flows when available, and to identify and execute restoration opportunities. Similarly, county staff are engaged in the Upper Colorado River Wild and Scenic Stakeholder Group, the Grand County Water Information Network, and the East Grand Water Quality Board.

County staff also work to ensure compliance with 1041 permits, including the Windy Gap 1041 permit, and other negotiated agreements, including the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement.